


Alpha's Solace

by Diyami, GetMcDunkedOn



Series: Pheromones n Bones [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Anxiety, Consensual Sex, Drinking, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Penis (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Ecto-Vagina (Undertale), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fade to Black, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Light Masochism, M/M, Marijuana, Marriage, Mpreg, Multi, Non-Human Genitalia, Omega Verse, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Papyrus is a Lawyer, Past Abuse, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Recreational Drug Use, Sans/Underfell Sans (Undertale), Self-Medication, Skeleton Pregnancy (Undertale), Skeleton Sex (Undertale), Skeletons Purr (Undertale), Smoking, Suggestive Themes, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus/Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Undertail, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 14:20:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30073551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diyami/pseuds/Diyami, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GetMcDunkedOn/pseuds/GetMcDunkedOn
Summary: Prequel to Omega's RespiteWhen the Underswap skeletons make it to the surface, Stretch is not at all impressed with the taller Fell brother. Sparks fly in between them, but can they sort out their differences and learn to appreciate each other?In the meantime, Sans is infatuated with his friend, the other Fell brother, Red. But Red is wrapped up in his own bad coping skills, and doesn't want anything more than a fuck buddy. How will Sans get Red to open up more and give real romance a try?
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Series: Pheromones n Bones [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148276
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	Alpha's Solace

**Author's Note:**

> Since we've lost our buffer for Omega's Respite and we need to catch up a bit, we're moving into a new schedule! We're going to start alternating between OR and AS week by week. i.e., AS this week, OR next week, AS the week after, then OR, etc etc... We started this one a little while ago to give Stretch, Vex, Red and Sans the backstory they deserve! We'll learn a lot about them here, and how they got to the comfortable place they're at when OR begins ;)
> 
> Also, since there isn't much focus on Berry, a lot of the triggering stuff that's in OR is absent from this fic, so it's a bit more safe! It will also have angst, and some dark topics, but not to the same scale at all.
> 
> We hope you enjoy! <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which mortal enemies are made...!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tags: anxiety, alcohol, arguing/insults, fade to black sexy times

Stretch walked into their new home. The boxes were piled in the living room. Their old furniture from their house in Snowdin was buried somewhere inside.

Berry trailed close behind his younger, but much taller brother. He looked to all the work that needed to be done. His bones ached to remember how long it took to pack them. He’d get it all done tonight, though. Stretch deserved to settle in fast. After all, it was because of him they had to wait to leave the underground. The Queen didn’t want Berry’s kind running amuck, and his loving brother wouldn’t leave him to wait alone and unprotected in the rapidly emptying underground. 

Stretch looked around. Alphys and Undyne had done a good job picking it out for them. The house was almost as nice as their one in Snowdin; it was to be expected for Stretch to have a nice place. After all, he was the Underswap Judge.

He turned and hugged Blueberry. “welcome home, bro.”

Stretch answered the door, Berry stayed hidden behind the boxes.

It was after they had been unpacking for an hour there was an energetic knock at the door. When it was opened, there was a tall skeleton there with a beaming face and a plate covered in foil. It smelled of tomato sauce and a bit of burnt crispiness.

“GOOD AFTERNOON! SO VERY NICE TO MEET YOU! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS MY ALMOST AS GREAT BROTHER, SANS!” The tall skeleton beamed, holding out the plate.

A shorter skeleton came out from behind the other monster, almost like he had some space-time shenanigans going on. There was a calm aura around him and a lazy smile on his face. “yo,” he said.

“hello,” Stretch said. The other skeleton’s smile was contagious.

“I BROUGHT YOU WELCOMING SPAGHETTI! MAY IT REJUVENATE YOU FOR THE ARDUOUS TASK OF UNPACKING! WHICH I CAN HELP WITH!”

He laughed and took the plate. “come on in.”

Berry was frozen behind the boxes. New monsters were scary. He never knew how they would receive him. There was the burden to keep his secret that he was sully. The short skeleton was very aware of what his culture thought of him. He thought, ‘WHY WILL IT BE DIFFERENT HERE?’ He crept up the stairs to hide in his room. Unless he had to, he didn’t want to face anyone. It was safer that way.

Stretch brought in the plate. “sure we can use some help. my name is stretch and this is...” He looked around and sighed. Berry was very aloof. “and my brother berry is probably putting things away upstairs.”

“THANK YOU!” Papyrus stepped right inside, glancing around. He just barely caught the tail end of another skeleton scurrying upstairs. “OH, NOT TO WORRY, I AM SURE I WILL MEET HIM LATER! I’M SO GLAD THERE ARE MORE SKELETONS! THERE ARE TWO OTHERS AS WELL, I THINK YOU WILL MEET THEM SOON ENOUGH AS WELL! THEY ARE VERY...” He seemed to search for an appropriate description for a moment... “...UNIQUE!”

Sans snickered; the idea of Papyrus calling other people unique was too funny, “maybe you can come hang out with us once you’re settled in.”

Berry heard Stretch tell them he was unpacking and sighed in relief and did just that.

“thanks, that sounds like a good time,” Stretch said. “i might take you up on that. he put the dish in the refrigerator. “you two must live close?”

“OH YES, I HOPE SO! SIX SKELETONS LIGHTING UP THE TOWN! IS THAT THE EXPRESSION SANS? NO, TEARING UP THE TOWN! YES INDEED, TEARING UP THE SIDEWALKS, PURCHASING ADEQUATE BUT NOT EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL, PERFORMING MILD ACTS OF LAWBREAKING AND PRETENDING WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES... THAT IS WHAT BIG GROUPS DO, YES?” He watched Stretch open the fridge. “OH, BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE THE WELCOME SPAGHETTI WHILE IT IS HOT, YOU KNOW!”

“yep that it paps. we’ll really paint the town red.”

Stretch looked at the spaghetti. It looked okay. “i hate to eat alone, do you two want some?”

“YES, RED, BLUE, ALL MANNER OF COLORS!” He beamed. “PERHAPS YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH YOUR BROTHER? HE IS ALSO VERY WELCOME! AH, AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES, WE LIVE ONLY A FEW BLOCKS AWAY! A SHORT DRIVE IN MY VERY COOL CAR!”

Stretch sighed and gave a sad smile. “soon. berry gets nervous with new people.”

“PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE! I PROMISE WE ARE FRIENDLY, THOUGH!”

Sans had seen the shorter monster sneak away earlier. “why doesn’t paps help you with some boxes and perhaps he’ll come down in a bit?”

Papyrus looked around at the boxes, then moved over to one stacked up. “I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO HELP YOU UNPACK, IF YOU WANT ME TO!”

“sure, that would be great.” Stretch came over and helped.

* * *

Sans wandered into the living room and took a shortcut up the stairs to knock on the door.  
Berry heard the faint pop of a teleport outside his door and the soft noise. “COME IN,” he called to whom he assumed was Stretch.

Sans didn’t open the door. “hey, that’s not how a knock-knock joke goes.”

Berry froze.

“it’s okay, i heard ya shy. you don’t have to come out and i don’t have to come in, but i do have a great joke for you.” He knocked on the door again.

Berry said quietly, “W-WHO’S THERE?”

“broccoli.”

“BROCCOLI WHO?”

“broccoli doesn’t have a last name, silly.”

Berry couldn’t help but giggled. He knocked and asked, “who’s there?”

They passed jokes through the door for a while.

* * *

Papyrus glanced up when he saw Sans port up to the upstairs bedroom and smiled fondly as he heard the knock. Hopefully, that would take care of that minor issue. He, meanwhile, happily unpacked with Stretch, chatting about things.

“ARE YOU GOING TO GET A CAR, TOO? OH, AND DID YOU GET YOUR FANCY ID CARD? HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE RAIN YET? DID YOU KNOW THAT SOMETIMES THERE ARE CLOUDS IN FRONT OF THE SUN? THAT’S SO STRANGE!”

Stretch smiled at the tall skeleton; Paps was so cheerful and enthusiastic, he reminded him a lot of Berry when he was younger. “nah we don’t need one of them loud things. i know a few shortcuts and we got our id cards today.” He chuckled at Paps questions, “it’s our first day up here, but we haven’t seen the clouds yet. it’s been a sunny day.” 

“OH, LET ME GUESS - DOES YOUR BROTHER ALSO DO THAT THING WHERE HE POPS OUT OF EXISTENCE AND THEN REAPPEARS SOMEWHERE ELSE? SANS AND RED CALL IT ‘SHORTCUTTING.’” Papyrus shook his head. “WALKING IS SO MUCH MORE FUN, IN MY OPINION! SANS IS A LAZYBONES MOST OF THE TIME, HE REALLY DOES NEED MORE EXERCISE.” A playful huff.

“no, that’s me.” he pointed a finger at himself. “berry doesn’t have that power. this is the first time i’ve heard of others having it.”

“OH WOW, IT’S YOU THAT CAN DO IT? HOW STRANGE! YOU DO SEEM A BIT LIKE MY BROTHER IN PERSONALITY...”

They got through more boxers by the time Stretch realised Sans hadn’t been around. He walked over to the fridge “you two want a drink?” He pulled out a bottle of honey for himself, “where’d sans go?

When Stretch moved into the kitchen, he only poked in. “WATER WILL DO FINE! I DO BELIEVE MY BROTHER WENT TO PESTER YOURS, PROBABLY WITH JOKES AND BAD PUNS, AS HE IS WONT TO DO. THERE HASN’T BEEN ANY SCREAMING, SO I AM CAUTIOUSLY HOPEFUL THAT THEY ARE DOING FINE. BUT I WAS GOING TO GO CHECK ON THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE BOTH ALRIGHT.”

* * *

Berry sat on the other side of the door, trading jokes with the person. ‘THEY SEEM NICE.’ he told himself. Berry by nature was a curious monster. He liked to tinker and make things. It was that same curiosity that had him have a chance meeting with Al, a person he never would have normally talked to. That same curiosity had him wanting to open the door and see this monster face to face. His hand slid under his bandana and he gripped the tight black leather band.

‘ITS JUST LIKE GOING TO MUFFETS.,’ he told himself. ‘DON’T LET ANYONE SEE THE COLLAR AND THEY WON’T KNOW. THEY’LL KEEP BEING NICE.’

He pulled the bandana up high. There was another knock, and he opened the door.

Sans who had been sitting and leaning on the door fell sprawled out on his back. “hey, there.”

Berry looked down at Sans in surprise. “OH MY GOODNESS! I’M SORRY!” he yelled.

“it’s cool. don’t worry about it, kiddo. the ground was nice enough to stop me from falling too far,” he snickered.

Stretch startled and almost dropped his honey when he heard Berry’s yell and hurriedly ran over to the stairs to go up them halfway.

Papyrus called out, “IT’S EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?”

Berry backed away when he heard the other’s voice. “I’M SORRY.”

Sans smiled reassuringly as he said, “i’m fine paps, just had a nice little trip.”

Stretch ported just outside the room. “you two alright?” 

“YEAH.” Berry admitted shakily, “I OPENED THE DOOR TO LET HIM IN. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM.”

“it’s okay, see? nothing hurt. you got good carpet here, nice and plushy.” Sans patted the carpet.  
“is it okay if my bro comes in, berry? i’m sure he would appreciate it.”

“it’s okay, berry. they’re really nice,” stretch said. “come on in paps.”

“OH YES, I PROMISE, I AM QUITE THE HARMLESS SKELETON WHEN I WANT TO BE!” Papyrus cautiously came up the stairs further, then paused beside his brother and scooped him right up to settle him on his feet.

“UPS-A-DAISY, SANS! NO NAPPING ON OUR NEW FRIENDS’ CARPET! BERRY, DO YOU LIKE SPAGHETTI?”

Berry calmed down as the other skeleton didn’t yell at him, and his brother rubbed his back. “IT’S ALRIGHT,” he told Papyrus.

Sans smiled when Paps picked him up, “but it’s very comfy. delightfloor.”

That got a small giggle from Berry.

“I’M GLAD TO HEAR IT! I - HOW DARE YOU, BROTHER - I BROUGHT SOME, AND I’D LOVE IT IF YOU BOTH TRIED IT!”

Berry looked at Sans, who smiled and nodded. The smaller skeleton’s tummy knotted a bit, but he wanted to be polite. “ALRIGHT, I’LL TRY SOME.”

Stretch smiled happily.

“I’M SO GLAD TO HEAR IT! I’LL GO GET IT, THEN!”

Papyrus hurried back downstairs and got the pasta, with two forks, to bring back and present hopefully to both Stretch and Berry.

Berry watched the monster leave. Their excitement was uplifting. He couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

When Papyrus returned, he beamed as he held it out again.

“I BELIEVE IT IS STILL A BIT WARM, SO PLEASE GO AHEAD AND TRY IT. AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!”

Stretch took a bite. It was a little crispy in spots, but otherwise not bad. “it’s great,” he said.

Berry took a bite and said respectfully, “IT TASTES GOOD.”

“YOU THINK SO?” Papyrus looked very happy. “I’M VERY GLAD TO HEAR IT! I’VE BEEN PRACTICING MORE, WITH MULTIPLE TEACHERS! VEX HAS DEFINITELY HELPED.”

“who’s vex?” Stretch asked. “are they the other skeletons you were talking about before?”

Berry put the fork back in the food to leave it there and asked, “OTHER SKELETONS?”

“YES, RED’S BROTHER’S NAME IS VEX! THOSE ARE THE TWO OTHER SKELETONS! I WOULD’VE HOPED THEY COULD COME TODAY, BUT VEX WAS BUSY WITH HIS NEW STUDIO.”

“IS HE AN ARTIST?” Berry asked.

“NO, HE IS A DANCER! A BALLERINA, EXCEPT, AH, THE MAN VERSION. AND HE JUST OPENED HIS OWN BALLET STUDIO WHERE HE WILL BE TEACHING!”

“oh, wow. that’s really cool, living the dream and all,” Stretch said, impressed. 

“WOWWIE,” Berry said.

“is red a dancer too?” Stretch asked.

Sans laughed. “nah, red is not much into moving. he’s pretty lazy like me.”

“I THINK HE WANTS TO DO SCIENCEY THINGS, BUT SO FAR HE DOES... AH... NOTHING, PRETTY MUCH!” Papyrus admitted.

“huh.” Stretch asked, “what do you two do?”

“OH, I AM GOING TO LAW SCHOOL!” Papyrus put a hand to his chest. “I AM ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH, I HAVE A YEAR AND A HALF LEFT. MY BROTHER IS A TEACHER!”

“WOW THAT IMPRESSIVE.” Berry said, awestruck. 

“that must have taken a lot of work on both your parts. congratulations,” Stretch complimented.

“THANK YOU! I WILL BE THE BEST LAWYER EVER, AND SETTLE ALL MONSTER-HUMAN DISPUTES!”

Stretch could believe Papyrus. He could feel the go-getter attitude radiating off the other skeleton, “i bet you will.”

“YOU TWO MUST BE VERY SMART. A TEACHER AND A LAWYER,” Berry said shyly. “WHAT GRADE DO YOU TEACH SANS?” 

“well, i teach high school kids. science class.”

“YES, OF COURSE I WILL! AND SANS IS THE BEST SCIENCE TEACHER EVER!” He beamed and took back the plate when they had finished the spaghetti.

Suddenly, a ringtone rang out. Papyrus whipped out his phone to answer with a smile.

“HELLO, VEX! ...OH, YOU HAVE? THAT’S GREAT! IS RED DECENT? ...EXCELLENT, I’LL TEXT YOU THE ADDRESS! SEE YOU SOON!”

He hung up.

“GOOD NEWS, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY CAN COME SAY HELLO TODAY AFTER ALL!”

Berry shuddered. More new people, but at least he knew something about them. 

Stretch patted Berry’s head and picked him up. “okay but let’s go downstairs.” He walked Berry out of his room.

Berry gripped on to Stretch. He wasn’t quite ready, but he seldom was. Stretch petted his skull and rubbed his back, comforting his big brother. He was his family, and he did his best to keep Berry safe and happy. He had a feeling that these skeletons would all help him in this task.

“YES, GOOD IDEA!” Papyrus followed along downstairs, watching Stretch comfort Berry. “IT’S ALRIGHT TO BE NERVOUS! BUT I PROMISE THEY ARE ALRIGHT, EVEN IF THEY LOOK SCARY!”

* * *

There was a knock on the door about five minutes later.

Berry hid in Stretch a bit. He would trust in Stretch to keep him safe. 

Stretch smiled at his older brother. Their roles had reversed; he remembered as a child Berry standing up to the world, keeping them safe. Finding places for them to sleep and working or finding food. He was determined to help Berry get over his trauma and support him. “it’s okay berry. you’re at home with family. you’re safe.”

Sans watched curiosity from next to Papyrus, but he didn’t want to pry as they had just met and Berry seemed to be having a hard time of it.

Papyrus kept trying to give Berry reassuring smiles. When there was a knock, he looked through the peephole, then beamed and opened the door.

“GOOD AFTERNOON, WELCOME TO SCENIC OUR NEW FRIENDS’ HOUSE!”

The first skeleton to step in was taller even than Papyrus, over eight feet tall in heels. He definitely had to duck to come in. He was dressed in black slacks and a tight leather jacket, an extremely tattered scarf wound around his neck. His appearance was immaculate but for that scarf, but he had several scars, including claw marks across one eye and a small chunk missing from one side of his pointy chin. He glanced around, then looked back behind him.

His brother came traipsing in with a bottle of mustard in hand, also glancing around. He was only five feet tall, with one gleaming golden tooth and a crack in his right eye. His right hand was stuffed in the pocket of his hoodie, and after a brief glance around, he smirked at Sans, winking.

“sup, sansy, paps. new guys too.”

“GREETINGS. I AM VEX, THIS IS MY BROTHER, RED. EXCUSE HIS SLOVENLY APPEARANCE,” the tall one said.

Stretch cocked a brow. The Judge in him could feel these two had LoVe in them. He wanted to let the check go off, but he held it back. He had told Berry over and over that the surface was a chance at a new beginning. If he went off without knowing them first, Berry would take it the wrong way. 

“heya, i’m stretch. this is my bro blueberry, but ya can call him berry. he’s a little shy.”

Berry took some deep breaths before lifting his head. He smiled nervously. “HELLO.”

Red pouted a bit when his brother said that about him, glaring down into his mustard for a sec as he took a gulp. Weird, it smelled faintly of alcohol amidst the sharp mustard scent. But then he brightened up again.

“heya, stretch, berry. no need to be shy, we don’t bite. hard.”

“DON’T START, RED,” Vex sighed.

“just tryin’ to lighten the mood... nice place you got. lotta boxes. how’s the couch?” He walked right over to it and flung himself down, then beamed. “feels good!”

Vex huffed, crossing his arms, and gave him a warning glare.

Sans went to sit next to Red. “heya.” He smelled the alcohol. “let me get ya a refill, buddy." He pulled a full bottle of mustard from his inventory and tossed it to Red, then used his magic to take the spiked one. “we’ll save this one for tonight.” He winked.

Berry cringed and rubbed at his neck when Red said that about biting.

Stretch raised a brow again. “please no sexual jokes around berry.”

Berry buried his face in Stretch’s chest. He felt embarrassed, and he was just being in the way. “I’LL JUST HEAD TO MY ROOM.” He didn’t want to cause trouble. He just wanted to be good and hide away, forgotten.

Red grumbled as his mustard was replaced, but begrudgingly took the new one. He bit off the top like an animal with his sharp teeth, spitting it out onto his lap to take a gulp. Then he cringed mid-drink at what Stretch said, pulling the bottle back down.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE, BERRY, IT’S ALRIGHT!” Papyrus assured, giving him a smile.

“APOLOGIZE, RED,” Vex said, his scowl deepening.

Red looked like he was already about to apologize, opening his mouth to do so. But when his brother spoke, he shot a glare at him and scowled. He slouched back, picking up the torn-off end of the bottle.

“yeah, boss, ok... i’m real sorry, i was just tryin’ to be casual. i won’t do it again.”

“ITS OKAY.” Berry poked his head out. “I’M JUST IN THE WAY. YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO CHANGE ANYTHING BECAUSE OF ME.”

“aw, nah, kid,” Red said, now looking seriously chagrined. “i’m just an asshole, you’re alright. sorry. really.”

“bro, it’s our house and i will not have you hiding away in it.” Stretch looked at the tallest skeleton. “vex, let red talk for himself.” This monster was rubbing him the wrong way. Stretch, as the Judge, had to make people talk during judgments. He hated it, and Vex demanding it reminded him of the cursed ancient power, “he didn’t know. if you look at him he was about to say something. give him a chance.”

Vex glanced back over at Stretch, raising one half of his brow. “I’LL HANDLE MY BROTHER, THANK YOU, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M DOING AND WHAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR HE EXHIBITS.”

“IT’S ALRIGHT, EVERYONE!” Papyrus assured, stepping in between them. “THE FELLS ARE STILL ADJUSTING TO A DIFFERENT CULTURE, THAT’S ALL! LET’S ALL BE OPEN-MINDED ABOUT THIS.”

“I CAN DEFEND MYSELF JUST FINE, PAPYRUS.”

“red, you’re a gem,” Sans said. “just in the rough. ya need a little time to get smooth. you’ll get there, but you’re not an asshole.”

Red snorted at what Sans said, tilting the bottle bitterly again. “sure sansy, whatever you say.”

Stretch let the check that he had been holding back roll over Vex. Vex barely twitched when he was checked, but he stared Stretch down.

>   
>  Vex  
>  45 ATK 45 DEF  
>  13 LV 1300 HP  
>  ***Go on, say it.**  
> 

Stretch swallowed down the sour magic that tried to creep up with that check. That was a lot of LV. “you seem to have plenty of experience doing that.”

Berry flinched at Stretch’s tone of voice and words. He didn’t do a check; he didn’t want to. “stretch please....” he mumbled. He didn’t want to cause a fight. He thought this was his fault.

“hey now, let just all chill out a bit.” Sans said.

“YES. DEFENDING MYSELF. I HAVE DONE IT QUITE A BIT.” Vex tapped one finger on the other arm. “IF THAT’S A PROBLEM, BY ALL MEANS. SAY SOMETHING.”

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THAT, BERRY!” Papyrus fidgeted with his gloves a little, offering a beaming smile at Berry. “YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG, I PROMISE! DO YOU LIKE PUZZLES? I LIKE PUZZLES! I’VE GOT A WORD SEARCH BOOK RIGHT HERE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? IT’S QUITE HARD, BUT FUN!”

“word searches? sounds pretty neat, paps, let’s see it,” Red agreed. “don’t mind boss, kid, he’s just a bit upset today. not your fault.”

Stretch sat Berry down so he could do the word search. Berry looked between the two monsters a moment, then scurried over to Papyrus and Red. 

“do you want them in order of how much you tick me off, or in alphabetical order?” Stretch said.

Now both of Vex’s brows went up, and he stared Stretch down, unimpressed. “GO ON, THEN. THE FIRST OPTION WILL DO, I’M CURIOUS.”

Red cringed. He almost said something, but Papyrus was already quickly opening the word search and herding Berry, himself, Red and Sans into the kitchen to semi-loudly and all too brightly start explaining how each word search had a cool theme, like Mexican food or bedroom items or winter wear.

“I LIKE TO JUST MAKE ONE LINE FROM LETTER TO LETTER INSTEAD OF USING THE BIG ROUND BUBBLES, IT LOOKS NEATER TO ME!” he said, pulling out a pencil.

Stretch stood up when they were gone. “firstly, your brother has a mind of his own. i’ve known you all of five minutes and i can tell he resents it. secondly, have you ever tried talking your way out of a problem? because it doesn’t look like it, with that amount of LoVe. thirdly, you don’t need to sound so condescending about everything. it’s like you’re _looking_ for a fight.”

“SURE HE DOES,” Vex agreed, “AND YOU’LL FIND THAT IF I DON’T KEEP HIM IN LINE, HE TENDS TO CAUSE TROUBLE. HE CAN BE VERY IMPULSIVE. YOU LET ME MANAGE MY BROTHER, AND YOU MANAGE YOURS, AND WE WON’T HAVE AN ISSUE. OR AT LEAST WE’LL HAVE ONE LESS ISSUE, SINCE YOU THINK I GO AROUND PICKING FIGHTS WITH ANYONE I PLEASE AND KILL FOR FUN. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE, YOU’VE NO BUSINESS JUDGING ME FOR MY CHOICES.”

He didn’t approach, or draw a weapon, but his gaze was like a dagger.

“I WOULDN’T EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND. GIVEN YOUR MESSY APPEARANCE AND THE SMELL OF SMOKE I NOTICED FROM A MILE AWAY, YOU’RE NOT ONE TO UNDERSTAND A THING ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY OR CONTROL. GIVEN HOW YOU MANAGE YOUR BROTHER AND FORCED HIM TO DO AS YOU SAY, YOU’RE ALSO A HYPOCRITE. AND I DON’T MUCH RESPECT LAZY HYPOCRITES WHO BUTT INTO MY BUSINESS. SO KINDLY FUCK OFF WITH YOUR ISSUES. THEY’RE YOUR PROBLEMS, NOT MINE.”

“pardon? i know responsibility better than you will ever know it.” Stretch took a step closer “i’ve been dealing with more responsibility than you can imagine for years. as for my brother, he needs a caretaker, and i have taken on the responsibility to keep him with me.” His eyelights flashed yellow for a moment. “so yes, i _will_ make sure he feels safe in our house. if you want to be in our house, you’ll make sure not belittle anyone in it.”

“WELL YOU CERTAINLY DON’T LOOK IT, SO YOU MUST NOT BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO BE RESPONSIBLE.”

He stepped forward as well, eyelights flashing.

“MY BROTHER NEEDS ME TO KEEP HIM IN LINE. WITHOUT ME BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK, HE’S A FUCKING MESS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE DO AND DON’T DO. JUST BECAUSE I HAVE LV DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING ABOUT MY MORALS OR HOW I HANDLE MINOR ANNOYANCES LIKE YOU. I DO WHAT I MUST DO TO PREVENT TROUBLE, AND IF YOU’RE GOING TO JUDGE ME WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ME, I DON’T WANT TO BE IN YOUR HOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I’D RATHER GNAW MY OWN HAND OFF THAN STAND HERE AND LET YOU DISRESPECT ME.”

“maybe you overcompensate for an inferiority complex,” Stretch said hotly. “you don’t need to be pressed and polished when you’re moving and unpacking, and if you do what you must, then how about you leave.”

Sans came out. “guys, i think y’all need to take a breather, and stop yelling. vex, why don’t we go into the backyard and cool down?”

Berry was upset in the kitchen, ams wrapped around himself. Stretch was yelling and upset. He never yelled. ‘IT’S ALL BECAUSE I AM BURDEN.’ His inner voice was confirming his thoughts. His brother shouldn’t have to deal with this. “maybe i should have stayed in the underground longer. i caused a mess up here and it hasn’t even been a day,” he said quietly as he curled into himself.

Papyrus was trying his best to keep distracting Berry with the word search, his cheery voice a little strained.

Red huffed, gnawing on the tip of his mustard bottle. “ain’t your fault the boss is a fucking prick, ok? like i said, he’s in a pissy mood already today, he was like that before we got here.”

Vex absently smoothed out his scarf, taking his eyes off of Stretch as if deeming him not a threat.

“I DON’T NEED TO PROVE ANYTHING TO A SOFT LITTLE PUSHOVER WHINY BRAT LIKE YOU. YOU’RE THE ONE WHO STARTED THIS FIGHT, AND FRANKLY, YOU’RE ACTING EXTREMELY IMMATURE, SO MAYBE _YOU’RE_ THE ONE WITH THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX.” He hardly glanced at Sans, turning his back to Stretch. “I KNOW WHEN I’M NOT WANTED. RED! COME OUT HERE, WE’RE LEAVING.”

“ah, fuck...” Red reluctantly trotted out. “ya had the nerve to steal my booze, need it to deal with this bullshit,” he growled at Sans. It wasn’t hostile, just grumpy.

Sans sighed, feeling guilty over that. He liked hanging out with Red, “come over tonight and i’ll cheer you up.” He winked at Red, trying to cheer up the gruff skeleton. 

Stretch laughed. “i may be soft, but i ain’t no pushover and i ain’t the one who started this with you, oh mr. high-and-mighty-can’t-handle-criticism.” He turned to Red, “i’m sorry we didn’t get to talk. but if you need a break from mr. bossy, you’re welcome over anytime.”

That made Red smirk, winking back. “yeah, alright, sansy, deal.” He looked over at Stretch, stuffing the bottle of mustard in his pocket. “okay, sounds good to me. nice place. you get high? i’ll bring weed if ya want. or booze.”

“either works for me, red,” Stretch said.

“YOU’LL DO NO SUCH THING,” Vex hissed. “DON’T SPREAD YOUR NASTY HABITS. WE DON’T NEED TO COME BACK HERE.” He grabbed Red by the arm, none too lightly, not seeming to see the barely concealed flinch Red gave, and headed out, his brother in step behind him.

“I AM SO SORRY!” Papyrus sighed. “USUALLY HE ISN’T THAT IRRITABLE! AT LEAST NOT RECENTLY, HE’S BEEN GETTING BETTER… MAYBE THINGS WENT AWRY AT HIS STUDIO...”

Stretch was about to say something when Berry came out of the kitchen shaking and on the verge of tears. Stretch sighed and picked him up. “hey, berry it’s okay. no one is mad at you, bro.” He took Berry to the couch and looked at Papyrus. “he is not worth our time, paps.” He wanted a smoke and to let karma hit Vex hard, but Berry needed him and they had guests. “you guys want to watch a movie and we can all relax for a bit?”

“NOW THAT’S NOT TRUE,” Papyrus said firmly. “AT LEAST, HE IS WORTH MY TIME! BUT, IT’S ALRIGHT. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO OUT OF YOUR WAY. YOUR COMFORT MATTERS AS WELL!” He came over to the couch. “A MOVIE SOUNDS GREAT!”

Stretch rubbed comforting circles on Berrys back. “want to watch castle in the sky? It’s one of blue’s favorites.”

“THAT SOUNDS EXCELLENT! I QUITE LIKE THE VERY PRETTY FOOD-DRAWING JAPANESE MAN. I LIKE THE ONE WITH THE CAT BUS. HE REMINDS ME OF THE RIVER PERSON.”

Berry looked up with a smile at that. "YEAH, HE DOES." It was like their father.

"YOU THINK SO TOO?" Papyrus beamed. "WE'LL WATCH THAT ONE NEXT, THEN, IF YOU WANT US TO STICK AROUND THAT LONG! OH, BUT THERE IS STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNPACKING... NOT TO WORRY! AFTER THIS MOVIE, I WILL HELP WITH MORE UNPACKING, AND THEN WE WATCH A SECOND MOVIE TO CELEBRATE BEING DONE!"

Berry was feeling a lot better with the yelling and hostility gone, his brother rubbing his back and Papyrus comforting him. "OKAY. THAT SOUNDS GOOD."

Stretch smiled at that. "alrighty."

Sans sat down on the couch and relaxed, "sounds like a plan." He pulled out his phone and sent Red a text. [let me know when you're ready.]

"EXCELLENT! FOR THE TIME BEING, I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THIS ONE, SO I AM INTERESTED!" Papyrus settled in to watch, finally falling silent.

After a few moments, there was a text back to Sans.

[u let me no when ur back home in ur room n then ill b ready sexy ;)]

Sans smiled happily and settled in to watch the movie. [we're watching a movie. i’ll sneak out after it.]

[alright cool >:3c]

Stretch let Berry sit in his lap. Berry was yawning halfway through the movie. It really was his favorite, but it had been a very stressful day and he was tired. He didn't make it to the end.

Papyrus looked over and smiled when he saw Berry asleep on his brother's lap. That was very cute. At the end of the movie, he got up, trying to keep his voice down.

"Shall I keep unpacking while you put him to bed?

"sure. i'll be back in a minute." Stretch gently gathered his shorter big brother and took him upstairs. He looked at the unmade bed and frowned. He sat Berry on the floor and quickly took out the new bedding he had Al and Undyne buy for Berry. 

When they had been young and sleeping in the streets, Berry had found a secret cave in Waterfall. It had crystals in the ceiling that looked like stars. They slept there a lot, and Berry would tell him stories he remembered their father telling them about the surface. How these crystals had looked like them. It alway cheered them up. He wanted Berry to move on from the pain of the past, so him and his friends had helped in finding the starry night bedding. He gently picked up Berry and laid him to bed, hoping maybe tonight Berry would get a peaceful night’s sleep before he woke up and realized he was in the bed. 

Berry curled up in the soft bedding with a small whimper as he suggled it.

Stretch sighed and left the door open a crack before going back down stairs. Sans was up with Paps helping put unpack.

Papyrus hummed to himself as he unpacked, taking care with anything delicate. He worked quickly and efficiently, and was happy to do so. When Stretch returned, he started to ask where certain things would go, still taking care to try and keep his voice down to not awaken Berry.

It didn't take long to long with all 3 of them working. When they were done Stretch said, "thanks for the help, but i'd like to take a rain check on the movie. it’s been a long day."

Sans smiled. "no problem. we’re still on for drinks later this week?"

"OH, THAT'S QUITE ALRIGHT, NEXT TIME!” Papyrus said. “AND YES, DRINKS LATER THIS WEEK SOUNDS LOVELY! I IMAGINE RED WILL JOIN US FOR THAT, HE IS SOMEWHAT WORRYINGLY ATTACHED TO ALCOHOL."

"he has his reasons," Sans said, "but maybe we can get him to find new reasons to be sober." He gave a lazy smile. "we'll see ya later. let's head home paps."

Stretch waved back. "see ya."

"GOOD NIGHT, IT WAS A PLEASURE MEETING YOU!" Papyrus waved, then led the way back out to his car.

Red had sent Sans another text.

[come onnnn sansy ill go hit up someone else if ya keep me waiting >:(]

[omw. ;p put on something sexy for me. ;)] Sans chuckled to himself.

[better be. alright, can do. >:p]

* * *

It was a pretty short drive to get back to the house Papyrus and Sans shared. Papyrus made a subtle point of pulling out a pair of headphones with his phone and a stack of law books.

"I'LL BE STUDYING, SANS, SO PLEASE HOLD ALL EMERGENCIES AND GENERAL BROTHERLY BANTERING UNTIL TOMORROW."

Sans loved how Papyrus always humored his paranoia. "no problem, bro. hit them books. i'm just going to go to my room. don't bother to check on me, i'll be asleep." He gave some finger guns to paps. He went to his room and closed and locked the door. It would give him half a second more if Papyrus really wanted to come in, but that would be enough time to port.

Hardly had he turned back around from locking the door when there was the telltale pop of magic. Red splayed out on Sans's bed, clad in a men's garter and stockings to show off a bulging red crotch, and sheer black fishnet bra that left nothing to the imagination. It was a mismatched genitals kinda night.

"sup, sexy,” Red drawled.

Sans smiled dopily. "looks like you are." He took off his hoodie and threw it over his desk chair while walking to the bed. "so sexy tonight." He leaned in and kissed Red.

"damn right i am, hard as a fucking rock just for you."

He returned the kiss, pulling Sans down and flipping them to pin him on the bed. He tasted of bourbon, mostly, so he must've found himself some more alcohol anyway. But the natural apple scent was always underneath, strong and sweet.

"better hurry up and strip, 'fore i rip it all getting it off."

Sans loved that apple scent. It made his mouth water a bit. He kissed Red again, enjoying the apple cider taste. When they parted, he said, "better be careful, i might think you missed me," as he pulled his shirt off.

Red snorted, helping by tugging off Sans's shorts. "yeah, missed your pussy tight around me. you're my new favorite booty call."

When Sans pants came off his magic was already summoned into the requested sex. "thanks red, you're so sweet, you're my favorite booty call too," he chuckled.

"aw, you know it, babe."

* * *

Red proceeded to take him hard and fast, biting and growling out more dirty talk the whole time. He let out all of his pent-up alpha aggression, though he was careful about it, not hurting Sans any more than he was okay with. After three good rounds, he collapsed next to his bedmate with a satisfied groan.

"fuck, you're good... mmm… fuck, i’m exhausted."

Sans was exhausted and satisfied. He purred at Red’s words. "you too." He snuggled up; he liked to be the little spoon even if he was taller than Red. "i'm bone tired. good thing you _breast_ the subject already." Sans had his skull snuggled in Red's large tits.

Red chuckled at the pun, petting Sans's skull gently. "you're hilarious." He yawned before settling in to fall asleep. Sans wasn’t far behind Red, and soon soft snore was escaping them both.

By the time Sans woke up in the morning, Red was gone, having blearily inched himself out of Sans's grasp a little while before to port away back home. No point in staying for breakfast. Sans tried not to feel too sad about it, like usual. But one of these days, when he worked up the courage, he was going to ask Red to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summary: The swaps move into their new house on the surface. Sans and Papyrus come over to greet them and help them move in. Berry hides in his room, but Sans goes and makes him feel better about meeting new people with knock knock jokes. Papyrus and Stretch talk a bit about their brothers. Stretch and Berry try Papyrus's welcome spaghetti (it's not bad) and Paps mentions how the taller Fell brother is helping him get better at cooking. The Fells arrive a little later, as Vex had things to do. Red makes a flirtatious sort of joke, making Berry uncomfortable and prompting Vex to snap at him. Stretch bristles at Vex's attitude. Red apologizes, and Papyrus tries to smooth things over. Sans sees Red is already drinking and coaxes the booze away. Stretch CHECKs Vex and sees he has high LV, prompting an argument between the two of them about control and responsibility, resulting in Vex dragging Red back out of the house, insulted. Sans promises to make it up to Red that night. The swaps and tales watch a movie, and Berry falls asleep. Stretch puts him in bed, tucking him in the new blankets he got Berry. The tales and Stretch do more unpacking, and then Sans and Papyrus leave. Sans and Red have been flirty texting, and when Sans gets to his room, (Papyrus pointedly putting on headphones because he knows), Red is there waiting in lingerie. They go at it, and Red leaves in the morning while Sans is still asleep, as it was only a booty call and they are not together. This makes Sans sad...

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoyed!


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